Évaluation publiée le 26 juillet 2023
Produit reçu gratuitement
Preface
Reviewing Viewfinder based solely on its innovative technical solutions would result in a flawless score. My jaw hasn't dropped this dramatically during a game since I was a kid.
To be honest, though, I'm not thrilled with this title. While the game does invent a number of interesting puzzle techniques, most of the sections feel like mere appetizers because they never attempt to move above a very basic level.
The story feels like an additional feature, not something that would give me the drive to progress further. The writing is also passable, filled with soulless characters and an annoying commentator, but the cat at least improves this a little bit.
Pros+ A remarkable achievement in terms of game design and programming
+ The puzzles are well-made and interesting
+ The visuals are absolutely stunning
♥♥♥♥- The story feels like an additional feature and not as the backbone of the game
- The price is way too high for the offered playtime
- The difficulty in most parts completely stagnates
In-Depth Review
The Story
Simply put, there is no real story in the game. It's there, but it's very evident that it serves no purpose other than a nice extra feature. This is easily verifiable by visiting the game's store page, where not a single sentence is dedicated to explaining the game's plot.
I hope you understand that, because of this, I don’t know how much I can reveal about the narrative, even though, as I noted, you can easily enjoy this title by just focusing on the puzzles.
The dystopian planet of Viewfinder is characterized by a rapidly shifting climate. As a result of widespread global warming, oxygen is scarce in many areas. Yet, a group of dedicated scientists have created a technology that, if recovered, might drastically improve the future of the human race. The narrative mostly focuses on the past, giving you a glimpse into the group's routine, research, and internal conflicts. Listening to gramophones and reading written logs help reveal more and more about the history of the various structures and worlds as you explore them.
You'll also have a helpful feline companion named Cait, who will tell you interesting anecdotes and point you in the right direction.
In my opinion, Viewfinder's gameplay mechanic stood on its own without the need for a story, and I suspect that was the case with the developers as well. It adds some flair to the game but raises more questions than it answers. By the end, I had no idea what had happened, and the story as a whole had failed to impress me.
The Gameplay
A Technological Marvel
Finally, we're getting to the game's meat and potatoes: the puzzle systems.
You've probably already had a few "what, how?" moments simply reading through the game's website; trust me, you'll have a dozen more like that while you play the game!
The central component is a camera that can capture a moment in time and render it as a photograph; the resulting image is far superior to a "simple 2D one" since it can be positioned in space.
But that's not all; Viewfinder never fails to impress me with its technological wizardry, whether it's an interactive rendition of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" or an especially ingenious optical deception. The game heavily rewards those who are interested in exploring the outstanding liminal spaces.
In order to advance from one level to the next, you must activate, rotate, or even just find the corresponding portal. The rules will evolve slightly on later levels, but the core concept will remain the same throughout. In particular, the levels that included new types of sounds were fun to play since they demanded creative problem-solving.
The problems are initially easy—perhaps a little too easy - but, in the game's second half, Viewfinder truly picks up speed, presenting you with challenges that call for you to change your point of view and, in some cases, launch yourself into the air before plummeting downhill to land on a photograph you have to place in a ‘pro gamer’ way.
https://steamcommunity.com/id/sharky055/screenshot/2042996641223163790/Designing The Puzzles
All of the puzzles make use of this principle in somewhat different ways: as you advance through the stages, the puzzles will become progressively more challenging; nevertheless, a better word might be "denser," as almost all of the puzzles just scratch the surface.
While not the fault of the game or its creators, this issue has become somewhat of a norm in the puzzle genre over the past few years, with numerous games featuring impressive yet underutilized gameplay mechanisms. The game's major issue is that the difficulty never rises above a certain point; instead, it consistently introduces new mechanisms every few levels and then stops expanding.
The adventure culminates in a time-based puzzle that is a model of what a normal level in the game should have been like: dense, challenging, and offering a variety of unique solutions.
My main complaint about Viewfinder is how short the game is; I finished the main and most of
the optional levels in a little under five hours, and the game might offer me an additional hour or two if I'm particularly dedicated to unlocking all of the achievements. Seven hours doesn't seem reasonable to me for a price tag like this. - There isn't just a straightforward answer to this subject, despite what many reviews might have you believe.
The Visuals & The Sound
The game's aesthetics are arguably one of its best features. The graphics are stylized with a realistic flavor, and with the addition of flora, the settings come to life; the palettes are rich, and no two images are the same.
The developer's insatiable imagination shines through the game's myriad collectibles - which range from posters to portable game systems - and interesting cartoonish deserts and ancient castles rendered in pixel art.
https://steamcommunity.com/id/sharky055/screenshot/2042996641223168149/The game's music and sound effects are satisfactory, and the game also features wonderful voiceovers, so there's not much to complain about there. The use of accents by several members of the cast is a nice touch that adds to the overall immersion.
Conclusion
My inner child wants to adore Viewfinder, but I simply can't look past its flaws. The game's core mechanism is truly groundbreaking, and it features amazing environments, but it suffers from far too many flaws to be considered a definitive gaming experience.
Final Rating: Great
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